GLASGOW Airport is to become the UK's first home to a drone distribution centre to get vital medical supplies across Scotland. 

The Caelus project will launch on December 1 and will see essential items delivered by remote-controlled drones to hard-to-reach parts of the country. 

It brings together a number of different organisations, including Strathclyde University and the leading air traffic control firm NATS, at a cost of £1.5 million from the UK Government. 

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A key challenge to the minds behind the project will be ensuring drones can safely share the airspace with commercial flights coming in and out of the airport. 

In 2018, hundreds of flights were cancelled at Gatwick Airport near London after reports of a drone sighting close to the runway. 

AGS Airports, who own the airport, hope to develop a drone delivery network to link hospitals, pathology laboratories, distribution centres and GP surgeries across Scotland. 

Derek Provan, the firm's chief executive, said the project had the potential to "completely revolutionise" healthcare in Scotland. 

He added: "Not only does drone technology have the ability to speed-up the delivery of critical medical supplies, it could also reduce waiting times for test results and, more importantly, help provide equity of care between urban and remote rural communities.

“The organisations within this consortium are some of the most skilled and experienced in drone technology. The funding from UK Industrial Strategy will allow us to work together to overcome some of the challenges associated with scaling drone operations to deliver a transport network that is technically, socially and financially viable."

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Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal & vice-chancellor of Strathclyde University, said: “We are a founding member of the UK Aviation Research Consortium and we are delighted to play a central role in this exciting project, applying our expertise from across multiple disciplines.

"The project aligns with our health technologies research cluster and our long track record of working with industry and the public sector. We look forward to demonstrating the potential value of drone delivery of medical supplies for the public, NHS, the economy, social equality and for the aviation manufacturing industry in Scotland.”